The following is a list of patents which may be of interest for general background information:
Patent No. Inventor(s) Issue Date 3,129,771 Lidstone 21 Apr 1964 4,242,794 Peterson 06 Jan 1981 4,286,675 Tuggle 01 Sep 1981 4,501,332 Straayer 26 Feb 1985 4,856,194 Lee 15 Aug 1989 4,862,682 Wait et al 05 Sep 1989 5,426,852 Macomber 27 Jun 1995 5,430,943 Lee 11 Jul 1995 5,491,963 Jerez 20 Feb 1996 5,493,783 Oostendorp 27 Feb 1996 5,615,543 Caffey, et al 01 Apr 1997 5,617,636 Taggett, et al 08 Apr 1997 5,622,035 Kondo, et al 22 Apr 1997 5,651,418 Jerez 29 Jul 1997 5,722,172 Walden 03 Mar 1998
With respect to exemplary, two-hands-held, powered tools with extended handles to which cutters, cultivators or other work implements are attached, note, for example, the prior '418 & '963 patents of the inventor hereof (Jerez), as well the '794 (Peterson), the '852 (Macomber), the '783 (Oostendorp), the Wait et al ('682), the Straayer ('332), and the '636 (Taggert) patents, etc. It is further noted that the Lidstone '771 patent, directed to a relatively small, single-hand-held, power drill adaptation, is not from the art to which the present invention applies, namely, the long-handle, two-hands-held, gardening power tool art exemplified by the "Weed-Eater" type of device, although, it is noted for general background purposes, that the Lidstone patent does include a very different cultivator device in comparison to the cultivator implement of the present invention.
With respect to the broad concept of having a long-handle, two-hands-held, powered garden tool system which includes a number of differing work implements, note, for example, the '675 Tuggle patent. With respect to cultivator implements for long-handle, two-hands-held, gardening power tool devices of the general "Weed-Eater" type of device, note, among others, the patents to Straayer ('332) and Wait et al ('682), with the former having a circular type body in the form of a conical section with a continuous, uninterrupted, circular bottom edge.
For an example of a blower attachment, see the '794 (Peterson) patent. With respect to a cylindrically or conically shaped implement with a central opening or bore for attaching the implement to the threaded drive pin of a conventional line trimmer with a nut or bolt and with the former having holes in very thick side wall portions for inserting filament line segments but with the enlarged, side-wall "gussets" inhibiting its use as a cultivator, and the latter being a circular cultivator, note the '543 Caffey, et al and the '332 Straayer patent. The other cited patents includes examples of other types of exemplary attachments or work implements.
However, in this relatively "crowded" art, there are substantial, innovative, "unobvious" differences between the present invention and the prior art, as brought out more fully below. It is believed that the present invention represents an innovative, substantial advance in the prior art and a valuable contribution to the "useful arts."